Homeschool Testing in Maine

Required days

175 days/year

Required subjects

10 subjects

Notice

Required each year

Testing / evaluation

Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)

Recordkeeping

Required

Jump to the full Maine requirements for plain-English detail on each of these.

Does Maine require testing?

Maine requires one annual assessment. Your first notice of intent needs only a statement that the program will include one. Each year after that, you enclose the assessment with the letter of intent you file by September 1. The options are a standardized achievement test given through your school unit or another arrangement the commissioner approves, a test your school unit develops, a review and acceptance of your child's progress by someone who holds a current Maine teacher's certificate, a portfolio review by a homeschool support group that includes a certified Maine teacher or administrator, or a review by a local advisory board the superintendent selects. A test given through the school unit, a test the unit develops, and the advisory board review all need the unit's agreement before you file the notice.

What kind of assessment Maine accepts

Maine lets you choose how to demonstrate progress. The usual options are a nationally normed standardized test, a portfolio reviewed by a certified teacher, or a professional evaluation. Pick whichever fits your family; you don't have to use the same method every year.

When assessments happen

In Maine, assessment is expected annually. Put the window on your calendar so testing or evaluation doesn't sneak up at year end, and plan to keep the result with your records once it's done.

If scores fall short

A low score usually isn't an automatic problem. States that require testing typically ask that you keep the results and, if scores fall below a set level, work with your child and reassess the following year rather than ending the homeschool. Check Maine's specific threshold, but a single low result rarely undoes your homeschool on its own.

Keeping your assessment records

Keep every score report or evaluation with the date and the test or evaluator's name. Maine may ask to see them, and they're useful for your own records and for college applications later. Homeschool Fox stores results alongside your hours and activity log so everything lives in one place.

What Homeschool Fox tracks for Maine

The records Maine asks you to keep, plus the rest of your year, in one place. No spreadsheets, no lost notebooks.

• Days toward your 175-day goal
• Required subjects
• Days attended
• The records Maine asks you to keep
• Parent's choice (testing, portfolio, or evaluation)
• Daily activity logs
• Printable PDF reports
• Progress tracking

More Maine guides

Comparing states? See how all 16 states that require testing or evaluation compare.

• Maine Homeschool Requirements Hours, notice, assessment, and subjects at a glance.
• Homeschooling High School in Maine Credits, GPA, transcripts, and graduation.
• Record Keeping in Maine What to document, how to organize it, and staying compliant.
• How to Withdraw From School in Maine The steps, the letter, and timing to avoid truancy issues.
• Moving to Maine What to file when you arrive and whether your records transfer.
• Public School Sports in Maine Whether homeschoolers can play, what it takes, and who to ask.
• Homeschool Days Required in Maine The number, what counts toward it, and the pace to hit it.
• Required Subjects in Maine The list, how much time each needs, and proving you taught them.
• Maine Letter of Intent Who to file with, when it's due, and a free generator.
• Maine Year End Report What goes in it, when it's due, and who reviews it.